Page 21 - SAMENA Trends - December 2020

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Eutelsat Launches Nationwide Satellite-Based

Service in UK

France-based satellite operator Eutelsat of 22Mbps, with a maximum of 30Mbps access services from terrestrial networks.
has announced the launch of a new service, reported for the service. At the other end With the huge switch to working from
available nationwide in the UK, via its next of the scale, the premium ‘Max’ tariff home this year, this kind of fast, affordable
generation KONNECT satellite. This new increase speeds to an average of 75Mbps and easily available service is needed
offering is being marketed by Eutelsat’s (maximum 100Mbps), with the price rising more than ever. This new launch offers
own direct operation, Konnect Europe (UK), to GBP69.99. All of Konnect’s tariffs offer connectivity for everyone to superfast
and targets those users – both residential unlimited usage allowances and have not broadband packages wherever you live. It
and business – that are unable to connect setup costs. Commenting on the launch, opens up exciting new opportunities for
via fiber-based services. At launch, three James Soames, Marketing Director anyone struggling to achieve a reliable
residential packages are on offer, with Konnect Europe said: ‘Connecting reliably internet connection, whether for business
the entry-level service (‘Easy’) costing to broadband, particularly in rural areas, or pleasure.’
GBP29.99 per month (USD40.3) per month has been a real pain point for internet
and offering an average downlink speed users in the UK including those who can’t

Facebook Claims Cell Coverage Breakthrough

Facebook detailed work on a prototype base station capable of planning to manufacture the SuperCell itself, instead hoping its
covering a larger area than traditional macro sites, pitching it as trials will “provide a playbook for the telecom industry to bring the
a cost-effective way to boost rural access. In a blog, Facebook technology to market and help expand mobile coverage in rural
communications systems lead Abhishek Tiwari said SuperCell areas in a way that is sustainable and cost-effective”.
is designed to be mounted on towers up to 250 metres high and
uses high-gain, narrow-sector antennas to increase “mobile
data coverage range and capacity”. Testing showed a single
SuperCell can provide mobile data to an area up to 65-times
larger than a traditional rural macro base station mounted on a
30-metre tower in the same environment. In trials, the system
delivered two-way voice and video call traffic to a range of 38km,
with data rates of up to 7.8Mb/s in the downlink and 1.2Mb/s up
over 40km. Facebook estimated each SuperCell could replace
15 to 25 traditional macrocells or “hundreds” of small cells,
providing coverage to the same number of people with a 33 per
cent lower total cost of ownership. While the company doesn’t
believe “there’s a silver bullet for connecting the world”, Tiwari
said the system could make a substantial impact in certain rural
areas, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. He added tech giant isn’t

UNICEF & Facebook Launch a Digital Campaign to Promote Life-Saving
Immunizations

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted children as well as global disruptions to help the development sector have better
life for many, including children in need the delivery of immunizations. That’s why insights for effective, local outreach. The
of lifesaving, routine immunizations. Facebook’s Data for Good team recently campaign reached 7.2 million people in
In countries like Pakistan, additional worked in partnership with the United Pakistan, with post-campaign survey
roadblocks as a result of the pandemic have Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to results showing that those exposed to
been compounded by an existing hesitancy better understand constraints to vaccine the campaign were more inclined to
in some communities to vaccinate adoption in Pakistan with the objective to vaccinate their children at a healthcare

21 DECEMBER 2020